When a Monroe man got stranded - again - at JFK Airport

Friday

When it comes to traveling through New York City, Ricky Cain of Monroe can't seem to get a break.

First it was a volcano, then it was a combination of a bomb cycle and water main break. So when it comes to traveling through New York City, Ricky Cain of Monroe can’t seem to get a break.

Cain, 32, was among thousands of other travelers stranded at JFK International Airport this week when a water main break and a monster winter storm on the East Coast crippled operations.

Seven years ago Cain was stranded at the same airport due to — oddly enough — the eruption of a volcano in Iceland.

“I can’t explain it,” said a perplexed Cain. “Every time I try to leave the country, something strange happens.”

Cain was on his way to Sweden when the troubles at the airport began. He was among a mass of passengers stranded when flights were canceled due to the storm, called a bomb cyclone. Then the water main flooded a terminal and the troubles mounted.

But Cain got lucky. A representative of Norwegian Airlines asked who was bound for Stockholm and Cain raised his hand. He was put up in the Long Island Marriott for the night, and his luggage was fine.

“Actually it’s not that bad,” he said by cellphone.

In 2010, an Icelandic volcano erupted, spewing so much ash into the atmosphere that it threatened to damage aircraft engines. It resulted in the largest air-traffic shutdown since World War II and the closures caused millions of passengers to be stranded around the world.

Cain, who was bound for Europe at the time, ended up sleeping in a hotel lobby and wandering around New York until his flight finally was restored.

Cain said he’s confident his trip abroad will continue but after delays due to a volcano, a monster storm and a water main break, he’s prepared for just about anything.